“I am death,” she murmured. “I am life. I am the primordial force, the darkness before the night. Open up your chasms, grant me the key to open its gates…”

A burst of light flashed into the enclosed space and hovered over Axum’s body, creating a large vortex with spiraling winds in its interior. From the vortex, the loud, mournful wails of lost souls emitted their cries and pleas for help. Nephthys knew that Axum had yet to cross over into the lands of the wanderers and closed the portal with her hand.

“I am Nephthys! Guardian of the sacred wrappings. I protect the dead from disease! I am the final breath taken and the reaping of the soul. Hear me!”

A raspy voice spewed out of another portal that opened above Axum’s chest. “You are not Osiris, the King of the living and the dead. You do not have permission to make such a request.”

“But I am his sister and his power is mine!” Nephthys shouted. With all of her strength, she summed up her magic and directed it into the portal. The voice released a deafening yell as if it were struck by her power.

“To give you the key, would mean an end to the natural order!” The voice spoke.

“You dare to challenge Nephthys? I am one of the first of the Ennead. I hold dominion over the realms of the dead…”

“Whose soul do you seek?” The voice quizzed. “That of which is your husband is no longer within my reach for he is in the Oblivion.”

“It is not the soul of my treacherous husband I wish to revive,” Nephthys declared. “Now, give me the key.”

The voice paused as if contemplating her response. “It is not that of another god in which you seek?”

Nephthys. “No.”

There was another pause and then slowly, a small black key was lowered from the portal and inserted into the center of Axum’s chest. Nephthys observed how the key carefully pierced Axum’s flesh, until the bottom half of the key was plunged into its center.

“Do what thou wilt. The key to the prophecy has just been revealed…” And just like that the voice and the portal disappeared.